The sweetest kind of tea
by werehere101
Summary: Arthur Kirkland, the great British Empire, has found himself in a role he never imagined being in at his young reckless age. Yet the beautiful and cold Chun-Yan wants nothing more than for him to leave her and her new micronation alone. Her older son, Macau, might have a different take on this strange arrangement. He wants his new brother to have the one thing he wants the most.


Horrible, bloody, and tortured shrieking was all that could be heard from the hut Chun-Yan called home.

The small Asian was streaked with sweat, strands of her sable hair plastered to the cheeks of her round face. She was panting, curled into a fetal position on the bedmat, Arthur beside her doing his best to calm the high pitched shrieking that was Macau.

She was in the middle of labour with her second child, and the screams of anguish that came during each torturing contraction had distressed the young micronation. Zhenzu, as she called him in Mandarin, was still too young to realize that this was natural and nothing he should be worried about. Nonetheless, the child still continued to wail out loudly and cling to the Englishman with all his tiny might. Arthur, looking surprisingly in control of the situation, rubbed small circles in the small of his back and murmured incoherent things in a soothing tone.

Chun-Yan held her breath as a fresh wave of pain coursed through her body mercilessly, whimpering as tears streamed down her face. She'd forgotten how excruciating this experience was, many human years having already past since the creation of Macau, and regretted ever having let the British man seated beside her now lie with her.

Arthur looked uneasy, brushing the damp locks of the writhing woman's hair away from her soaking face. He didn't know what else to do. It had only been a few short months ago when Chun-Yan had fainted out of the blue and he'd figured out she was with child.

She had done her best to hide it from him, but Arthur was much too smart for that.

As much as he had been cruel and deceitful to her, the Englishman felt the need to watch over her from then on. In place of the whore he travelled all the way to China to fuck and get high with was now about to be the mother of his child. Like it or not, he was obliged and bound by honor to protect and keep her.

Finally the toddler in his arms quieted, his cheeks red and eyes puffy from crying. He sniffed, breath coming out strained gasps, and turned to his mother, lower lip stuck out in a pout.

"Mamae. Mamae."

He reached for Chun-Yan, whimpering in protest as Arthur held him back.  
She dared a glance to them both weakly, huffing and clenching her rounded stomach tightly. Her ordinarily golden eyes, now glazed and unfocused, glistened with what would soon turn into dewy tears. The Asian was barely keeping a leash on her voice, yelps and sobs tore frantically at her throat, fighting to escape.

"Sh... Shh... It's.. nhhhng...It's okay..."

Chun-Yan choked the words out, whining as another contraction came as fast as the other had gone. The baby would be out soon, that much she remembered.

"En... Eng... Land..."

At his name, the Brit clasped her wandering hand tightly, voice quiet and smooth despite the panic he felt twisting in his gut.

"I'm here China. I'm right here."

She sobbed pathetically, toes curling, and gripped his hand tightly.

"I... I ha.. Te... You... Ni... Ni zheyang... DUI WO-"

Chun-Yan threw her head back and howled, convulsing. Arthur moved closer in dread, ignoring Zhenzu as he began crying again.

"What do I do China? You've done this before lass. Focus and tell me what to do."

Her chest heaved, peering up at him through the bangs in her eyes.

"Blanket... Cloth... Wa...ter."

The blonde nodded, giving her hand a last encouraging squeeze before moving to stand and gather the requested items. He held unto the toddler with one hand and fetched a bucket so he'd be able to bring water inside from the stream nearby, cussing under his breath. Though Arthur didn't look it, he was terrified and raging beyond measure. Dismayed because Chun-Yan was in so much pain that she was crying in front of him, and frightened for her well being. And he was upset because she had outright refused his help until now, as she lay writhing and bleeding at his feet. He couldn't very well bring her back to England at this very moment!

Zhenzu quieted as the sounds of his mother's caterwauling died down. He fidgeted in Arthur's arms as the bucket dipped into the stream and filled, using the sleeve of his chang-pao to itch at his runny nose.

"Mamae."

He commented again in his odd Chinese-Portuguese way of speaking.

"China is sick right now. You have to be quiet or else she'll get mad."

Arthur sort of regretted never asking China her son's name, that information would be useful in calming him down right now. The only thing he did know about the micronation was that Portugal was his father and the kid had terrible eyesight.

Zhenzu sighed, nuzzling into the Englishmen's neck in place of his mother, casing the older man to stiffen and halt.

This wasn't his child.

He shouldn't give a damn about this kid.

This thing in his arms was absolute proof that China was anything but just his. Why was he even tolerating this embarrassment.  
Arthur was about to leave him outside and away from them both when he heard Chun-Yan scream louder than she ever had done before. He hurried inside, setting the bucket beside her and grabbing a nearby wash cloth and blanket.

"I have what you asked for China. What do I do now?"

In his absence, the Asian had positioned herself on her back, her woolen robes up slightly and revealing her flushed thighs. She looked up to him, hands on her pregnant stomach.

"Move... Move my legs up. I can't..."

He moved closer to her hips, setting Zhenzu down and gently propping her legs up. He did not need to be told that her under garments would need to come off, and with a stern face removed the cloth without being prompted too.

Chun-Yan panted harshly, her lovely face scrunched up in agony, and got the man's attention with a soft pat to his leg.

"Help... Sit..."

Arthur, still holding her knees in place, reached over and slipped a his hand under her sweaty back, hefting her up with a small grunt. She was heavy now, with all the extra weight of the baby, yet still so tiny. She whimpered and tangled her fingers in his dress shirt, no doubt crinkling the expensive fabric terribly.

For once, he didn't care.

The next hour or so was worse than torture for all three of them. Zhenzu running about in a complete panic, his lack of clear vision causing him to trip and slam into things frequently. Chun-Yan wailed and groaned, head thrown back and sweating more than all the times Arthur ever did put together when the sun beat down on him and his crew on their frequent voyages. She had been pushing with all the strength she possessed, but nothing seemed to be happening.

Another hour past, and he was getting anxious, wondering just how much more of this there was left to endure.

Zhenzu, having long since lost the energy to cry and run around, had collapsed in a heap on the blanket Arthur had brought, passed out.

The blonde looked over enviously, wishing he could do the same. But he couldn't very well leave Chun-Yan to do this on her own.

Something must be wrong, that's why the baby wasn't out already. He swallowed, arms aching from supporting her for so long, and barely held back his tears as she breathlessly squealed, her voice all but gone.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did this to you."

She didn't seem to hear him, and he held into her tightly, releasing her legs to be able to cup her cheek.

"China. China do you hear me?"

She was so pale, in so much pain that she couldn't even focus on him. He noticed now she had stopped squirming and was all but limp in his arms. Arthur panicked.

"China. China."

He shook her, frantic.

She twitched.

If she gave up now, the baby wouldn't come out, and it would surely kill them both.

Arthur wracked his brain, grasping for something, anything that would help her. The thought of her dying because he couldn't keep it in his pants was overwhelming and heartbreaking.

"China... China.. You can't give up... Please. I know it's hard but..."

"O...Opi..."

He blinked, looking to her with startled emerald eyes.

"What?"

She sucked in a breath, lips forming the word but no sound behind it.

Opium.

"...Cursing me still? Even now?"

Chun-Yan fixed a blank look on him, eyes half closed. Arthur didn't realize it until her head lolled back that she had meant she wanted opium, not the derogatory nickname she'd given him.

He fumbled around in his pocket after spreading his legs and allowing the Asian to sit against his chest. How stupid of him to forget that Opium was used as a painkiller and not something to just get high off of. Quickly as he could, not really caring that most of the expensive drug missed its destination of the collapsible pipe, Arthur lit it and inhaled it's addicting scent.

"China. China wake up. You need to smoke this."

She didn't respond.

"China!"

He shook her once, then finding his numb brain could think of nothing else, he raised his hand and slapped her.

She gasped, cheek turning red, and fixed the Englishman above her with a weak glare.

"Smoke this. If the pain goes away you can push the baby out right?"

Chun-Yan blinked, dazedly, and gave a tiny nod.

As the times she had before she accepted the pipe into her mouth, almost greedily, clasping her hands around his, and took in a long drag. She relaxed a bit, as the smoke left her body through her small nose, blinking away the tears in her eyes.

Inside of her, she felt the baby squirm, as ready to come out of her as she was. Before, the pain of the contractions had made her body strained and weak, leaving her unable to make much progress in pushing the baby out. Now after her second or third hit of the drug, she felt the instinctual urge to resume, knowing that without the pain, she could muddle through this with little more problems.

Arthur took the pipe away and set it down by his side, one hand wrapped around the small expanse between Chun-Yan's belly and breasts, the other gripping her hand with the same amount of pressure as she put on his.

Senses now dull with the assistance of the pain-killing drug, the woman took a deep breath and pushed, hard.

Arthur felt her whole body tremor, the vibrations starting in her back and ending at his chest. He buried his nose in her black hair, dismissing the stench of sweat and in it's place imagining the sweet clean scent of Jasmine and aster it normally held.

She pushed again, nails digging into the Brit's thigh as she felt the stone in her stomach lessen.

Arthur didn't even notice the sudden sharp pain of nails digging into his leg, having been murmuring words in her ear.

"You're doing just fine. Only a bit more... Keep going."

Chun-Yan whimpered, following the encouraging directions she heard softly being spoken in her ear. She continued to push, her back pressed all the way into a man she despised. She gave one last strained yell before the weight in her abdomen ceased existing, leaving her feeling hollow and empty.

The room was eerily silent.

The Asian let Arthur's hand drop, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline. She fumbled around in the mess in front of her, muttering panicked words in a language that was neither English or Mandarin.

Arthur blinked, too scared to do anything but stare at the tangled mess that was Chun-Yan's hair. If it was silent... That meant the baby was...  
Numbly, he realized that this was probably for the better. He had other colonies to look out for, an addition, even one that was his own child, would most likely he a burden anyway.

He thought back on the day he came to visit China, looking for some gold and a good time. She seemed a bit off today, with dark rings that hung around her eyes and took away from the beauty in her face. Arthur hadn't even had the chance to say something to upset her before she was suddenly crying and throwing a fit and fainted dead in his arms.

Worried, he'd carried her inside and placed her on the bed, pressing his calloused palm to her forehead. She didn't seem to have a fever.  
Once she awoke, she explained in a quiet voice that she was just tired and that he should leave.

Arthur had made a joke about her being pregnant because she was so hormonal and ordered her to make him some food. She did, but the smell of it made her pale and run outside to empty the contents of her stomach.

That was when he realized she was.

From then on, he made time to simply come check on her, make certain that she was alright. Watching her stomach grow with anticipation in his his own. Arthur made sure that when she progressed far enough that she was let off of all work, and told her to come back to England with him so she might deliver the baby safely.

Chun-Yan had slammed the door in his face and threw obscenities in Mandarin out carelessly. This could have been due to her condition, but it still had infuriated him at the time. He was after all, an ill-tempered man.  
Fuming, he remained in China and sent a letter and complaining to his King about how stubborn women were.

At least during the few months left of her pregnancy, the Asian seemed to warm up to him. There were times they simply sat together at the docks, looking out at the ocean. Times Chun-Yan allowed Arthur to place his hands on her swollen belly and feel the baby move. Even the rare sign of affection, her head on his shoulder, moving closer to him when the wind grew cold...

He found that he had enjoyed it. All the warm and loving feelings he experienced seeming to slip through his hands like sand.

There would be no more memories like this to be made if their child was dea-

A shrill piercing cry shattered the glass of the Brit's mind, and dazed he regained his focus as Chun-Yan settled back against his chest, looking like death but pleased with herself. In her arms was a bloody, naked, flailing baby.

Their bloody, naked, flailing baby.

Arthur let go of the breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Girl...?"

"He is boy."

"A boy..."

"Shii."

Weakly, with some magical source of energy Arthur was unaware that she had, Chun-Yan brought the bucket full of water over to them, retrieving the rag also and offering the cloth to him.

"You wash him. It tradition."

Normally her broken English would drive him insane, but at the moment, all he could think about was how he was now tied to this woman forever. He nodded and took the rag from her, dipping it into the pail and squeezing the excess water out.

Hesitantly, he began to wash the baby cradled in Chun-Yan's arms, smiling fondly as the boy cooed and squirmed into his father's touch.

"He's... So... Tiny."

Came his lame input at last, straightening the small patch of dark hair the baby had on his head.

Chun-Yan didn't say anything, just staring at the boy she had brought into this world as the effects of opium and adrenaline wore off. Her entire body ached, and she wanted nothing more than to let the sweet embrace of sleep take her.

"What's his name?"

The fatigued woman's eyes had been about to close when she heard the question from under the fog.

"What...?"

"What is his name? You can't very well bring a brand new life into this world and leave the poor sod nameless China."

Arthur sounded just as burned out as she was.

"You... You let me name him?"

He scoffed down at the woman that was more asleep than awake, finishing off the newest micronation's bath with a final drag of the cloth.

"Now I didn't say that. He'll have an English name, as is proper. But I don't see why you can't give him one in your funny language too."

She blinked slowly, trying to come up with a name herself. She hadn't known the Englishman would let her pick a name, even if she was only going to use it for Mandarin.

"I... I like... Xiang."

"Zhhhhang?"

It sounded funny hearing it in his accent, if Chun-Yan had the energy she would have laughed.

"It mean... Lucky... And smell nice... Hong Kong what he is and Hong Kong smell nice... In spring, when plum trees in bloom... You can smell their smell for miles... It come with the wind..."

"Lucky and a good smell? A bit girly for a boy's name don't you think?"

"What your name?"

Arthur dragged the still passed out Zhenzu and blanket closer to them, gently moving the toddler unto her lap. It had grown dark outside, the last light of day was barely illuminating the room. Everyone now piled on one another, he scooted their little entourage to a cleaner part of Chun-Yan's bed mat, still feeling the need to hold her close.

"After one of my kings of course. John, Richard... Something of the like."

He could feel her dislike of those names radiate with a passion. After all, it was his kings that tricked and lied to hers, all but stealing her land and imploding the drug market from within. Arthur wasn't sure why it came to mind, seeing as it was a Spanish name, but he blurted it out in an attempt to please the woman he had just watch suffer for an excruciating three hours.

"Leon. I like... I like Leon."

"Leon..."

The baby yawned, fussing in Chun-Yan's arms.

"Hey Leon. Leon. Leeeeeoonnnn."

Arthur huffed, not really liking being ignored.

"Xiang. Xiang Wang-Kirkland.

A pair of round, curious, and bright green eyes opened at her hoarse voice, peering up at huge faces, blinking as his new sense swam into focus. The newborn fixed a dazed stare at his parents, fuzzy eyebrows lifted in a question. Both adult nations kept their gazes downward, just as curious as he was.

"Xiang it is then."

Arthur remarked quietly, brushing his thumb over his son's cheek. He only had enough energy left to pull the blanket over them all, and then rested his chin on the top of Chun-Yan's head. She responded by making herself more comfortable against his chest, pulling her two sons close and up to her heartbeat. She soon followed Zhenzu in a passed out state, leaving Father and son to stare at each other in the darkness.

"You really gave your mum hell kid..."

The Brit murmured, smiling warmly. Xiang yawned again, stretching as far as he could, then nuzzled into his mother's neck and promptly went to sleep.

By now the sun had set, and the nightlife of rural China had come to life. Arthur sat alone, three people he had come to care about cradled snugly against him. He let his eyes drift shut, sighing deeply and falling into step with the other's movements, so they all breathed as one.

Almost gone from the conscious world, he managed to whisper something not even he remembered the next day.

"I love you, Chun-Yan."


End file.
